Bodega Marqués de Murrieta

Updated June 11, 2025

Rioja Wineries to Visit Near Logrono, Spain

## Bodega Marqués de Murrieta: Visiting One of Rioja’s Foundational Wineries

Bodega Marqués de Murrieta, just outside Logroño in Spain’s La Rioja region, is more than a pretty estate off the N-232a. It’s one of the places where modern Rioja started.

Founded in 1852 by Luciano de Murrieta, this winery was among the first in Rioja to apply Bordeaux-style techniques such as careful destemming, oak aging and long-lived blends, and it became the first Rioja estate to export its wines internationally. Today, the restored Finca Ygay estate and its 19th-century Castillo Ygay combine museum-like history, cutting-edge cellars and some of the most sought-after wines in Spain.

If you’re planning a wine trip around Logroño, this is a serious, in-depth stop rather than a quick, casual tasting.

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## Where Is Bodega Marqués de Murrieta?

– Location: N-232a Km 402, 26006 Logroño, La Rioja, Spain
– Region: Southern part of Rioja Alta, close to Logroño
– Estate: Finca Ygay, roughly 300 hectares of vineyards surrounding the winery

The estate sits a short drive from Logroño, making it easy to combine with a tapas crawl along Calle Laurel or a broader Rioja Alta itinerary.

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## A Quick Look at the Winery’s History

Understanding the visit here is easier if you have the historical context.

### 19th-Century Origins

– 1852: Luciano Murrieta, born in Peru and trained in Bordeaux, makes his first age-worthy Rioja wine using French techniques and begins exporting it abroad.
– He later acquires the Ygay Estate and builds Castillo Ygay, creating a single-estate model similar to a French château. Regulador DOCa Rioja – Riojawine

These steps are widely cited as foundational for Rioja’s reputation—several wine writers describe Marqués de Murrieta as part of the “Rioja aristocracy” and among the region’s most prestigious historic bodegas.

### Modern Family Stewardship

– In 1983, the estate is purchased by Vicente Cebrián Sagarriga, Count of Creixell.
– The Cebrián-Sagarriga family continues to run the bodega; today it’s led by Vicente Dalmau Cebrián-Sagarriga.
– Chief winemaker María Vargas is a highly regarded figure in Spanish wine, noted for balancing tradition with a more precise, modern style.

A major, years-long restoration of Castillo Ygay has turned it into a combined headquarters, museum and high-end hospitality space.

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## The Estate and Vineyards: Finca Ygay

All Marqués de Murrieta wines come from Finca Ygay, the estate around the winery in Rioja Alta:

– Size: Around 300 hectares of estate vineyards.
– Altitude: Roughly 300–500 meters above sea level, giving good diurnal temperature swings and naturally balanced ripeness.
– Soils: Varied across the estate, which allows them to craft different cuvées with distinct profiles.

One specific plot matters a lot:

– La Plana vineyard
– About 40 hectares at the highest point of the estate (around 485 m altitude).
– Planted in 1950, and the exclusive source of grapes for the flagship Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial.

For visitors, this estate model means you aren’t just tasting “generic Rioja” – you’re tasting a single, historic property with its own micro-climates and long-established plots.

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## Key Wines to Know Before You Visit

You don’t need to memorize the entire portfolio, but understanding a few benchmarks makes the tasting more meaningful.

### Castillo Ygay Gran Reserva Especial

– The icon wine of the estate and one of Rioja’s most celebrated reds.
– Sourced entirely from La Plana (Tempranillo with a smaller share of Mazuelo/Cariñena).
– Long aging, usually several years in oak followed by extended time in bottle, producing complex, age-worthy wines with structure and freshness.

### Marqués de Murrieta Reserva & Gran Reserva

– The Reserva is a classic Rioja Alta expression from estate fruit, typically Tempranillo-led with small portions of other permitted varieties, aged in oak and then bottle.
– The Gran Reserva follows longer aging norms and tends to be more structured and cellar-worthy.

### White and “Modern” Wines

– The bodega is one of the producers known for traditional oak-aged white Rioja, keeping alive a style that has become relatively rare.
– Dalmau Reserva includes a proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon and uses French barriques, showing a more modern, concentrated side of the estate.

If you’re planning content or pairing ideas, these categories (iconic Gran Reserva, classic Reserva, traditional white, modern red) give you a clean framework.

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## What to Expect from a Visit

### Tour Structure

While specific offerings can change, multiple sources outline a similar core experience:

– Guided estate and winery tour, including vineyards, the production areas and the historic spaces.
– Access to Castillo Ygay, which functions as a museum and event space showcasing historic documents, old winemaking equipment and the evolution of Rioja winemaking.
– Professional guided tastings, often featuring several wines (for example, a three-wine format including a Pazo Barrantes Albariño from the family’s Galician estate and key Rioja reds).

Some tours focus more on history and the castle, others lean into high-end tasting or gastronomic pairings. For the latest formats, always check the official site or contact the winery directly, as tour names and included wines can shift over time.

### Opening Hours & Bookings (Check for Updates)

Data from regional tourism and third-party sites indicates:

– Open most days around 10:00–17:30, with Sundays typically closed.
– Visits generally by prior appointment, particularly for detailed tours and tastings.

Because hours and booking conditions can change (seasonality, private events, holidays), treat the above as indicative rather than definitive and verify directly with the winery before traveling.

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## Practical Tips for Planning Your Visit

### How to Book

– Official website & contact: The winery lists its Logroño address and phone number on its contact page and provides a form for visit requests.
– They sometimes offer both standard visits and more elaborate experiences; premium tastings and gastronomic add-ons should be requested in advance.

### Getting There from Logroño

– The estate is a short drive from central Logroño along the N-232a.
– Taxi or private driver is usually the safest option if you plan to taste a full wine flight. Organized Rioja wine tours also commonly include Marqués de Murrieta in their itineraries. Trekkers

### Accessibility & Group Size

– Regional tourism sources mention private tours for small groups, often in the 6–12 person range, especially when visiting the castle and museum areas.
– If anyone in your group has mobility considerations, it’s worth checking in advance: Castillo Ygay and the historic cellars involve stairs and older architecture, and accessibility adaptations can vary in heritage buildings.

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## Why Bodega Marqués de Murrieta Matters on a Rioja Itinerary

From an itinerary-planning perspective, this winery delivers three things at once:

1. Historical depth
You get a concrete sense of how Rioja evolved from short-lived country wines to internationally known, cellar-worthy reds. Don Luciano’s introduction of Bordeaux methods and the estate’s role as one of the first exporters are repeatedly cited in historical overviews of Rioja.

2. Single-estate focus
The Finca Ygay vineyards surrounding the winery—and the specific La Plana parcel for Castillo Ygay—offer a clear link between site and wine, reinforcing the idea of Rioja as a patchwork of distinct terroirs rather than a generic blend.

3. High-level wine tourism
The combination of restored castle, museum-quality spaces, structured tastings and optional gastronomic experiences places Marqués de Murrieta among the more polished, “destination” wineries in Rioja.

For many visitors, this is the place to schedule a longer, more in-depth visit, then pair it with a smaller, family-run bodega elsewhere in Rioja for contrast.

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## Suggested Internal Link Angles

You can naturally point readers to:

– A broader “Guide to Wine Tasting in Rioja Alta” (covering how DOCa Rioja works, key sub-regions like Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, and how to string together multiple bodegas in a day).
– A focused “Things to Do in Logroño Beyond the Wineries” piece (Calle Laurel tapas, Ebro riverfront walks, local markets), giving context for travelers using the city as a base.

Both topics complement this article and help users plan an entire Rioja trip around their visit to Bodega Marqués de Murrieta.

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## Data Freshness & Accuracy Notes

– Founding dates, ownership, vineyard details and flagship wines come from the winery’s official materials and established reference sources; these are historically stable.
– Visiting hours, tour formats and booking conditions change more frequently. Information here is based on tourism and third-party listings updated within the last 1–2 years and should be confirmed directly with the winery before your trip.

Everything above is limited to details that are explicitly supported by the cited sources; pricing, specific menus and real-time availability are intentionally not included because they fluctuate too often to guarantee accuracy.

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